This invention relates to an apparatus to interconnect table tops in a variety of configurations.
Tables of various sizes and shapes are employed in diverse applications and arrangements. Frequently tables are arranged adjacent and abutting one another. Since tables may be inadvertently moved in such groupings, it is desirable to be able to interconnect abutting tables for increased stability. A table connecting apparatus that retracts out of the way underneath the table is advantageous to prevent the apparatus from projecting from the table, to accommodate arrangements where the tables are not juxtaposed.
Brackets to connect tables have been the subject of previous patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,836 to Burr discloses a slotted coupling link having spaced slots that may be positioned under a table. U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,710 to Waller discloses a fastening plate having two enclosed longitudinal apertures of uniform width for permitting a continuous selection of screw locations along the length of each aperture.
In each of these prior patents, as with most such prior apparatus, the coupling link is translated linearly into its operative interconnecting position, and is likewise easily inadvertently translated out of coupling position. There is, therefore, a need for a table interconnecting apparatus that operates rotationally to decrease this risk of inadvertent disconnection of abutting tables.